Jillete History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Jillete is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The name Jillete came from a diminution of the medieval given name Giles. That name is derived from the Greek aigidion, which means kid, or young goat.[1]CITATION[CLOSE]Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York, Harper & Row, 1956. Print

"In England there are numerous families who write their name Gillett and Gillot, all of French extraction." [2]CITATION[CLOSE]Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print." Oxfordshire is now the principal home of the Gilletts, but the name is also found in Kent. In Lincolnshire the name is represented by Gilliart, Gilliatt, and Gillyatt." [3]CITATION[CLOSE]Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.

"The family may have come with William the Conqueror into England, from Gillette, a town in Piedmont, France. Gillette, the son of Giles." [4]CITATION[CLOSE]Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print

Early History of the Jillete family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jillete research.Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Jillete History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jillete Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Jillete are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Jillete include Gillette, Gilliott, Gillet, Gillott, Gillett and others.

Early Notables of the Jillete family (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Jillete Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Jillete family to the New World and Oceana

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Jillete, or a variant listed above: Jonathan and Nathan Gillett sailed in the " John and Mary" and settled in Dorchester in 1635 where they became Freemen. Joseph Gillott arrived in New York State in 1830..